"There were five?" The Selected asks, her voice incredulous. "Prince Julian and Prince Constantine, who are alive, and former Queen Jeanette who passed..." She lists them one by one, before trailing off and looking at Kieran expectantly.
Kieran answers only with a nod.
"Who were the other two?" Her voice...it's not quite impatient, but it's urgent.
Kieran lets out a quiet sigh and looks away from her. "I'm afraid I'll have to keep that to myself until I know for sure you'll help me."
"Is it really so bad? Who it is, I mean."
Kieran shifts on his feet, trying the best way to word it. "It's something no one outside of the palace knows, and it's classified. If I tell you, it's only because you're fully on board, because once you're on, you can't get off." Kieran warns, keeping his voice kind, but authoritative.
"So what would you have me do? I'm not a detective, Kieran." She says, not unkindly, but her patience is starting to run thin with the secrecy and Kieran's flightiness.
He doesn't blame her. Not one bit.
Kieran nods. "I know. I'm not asking you to become something you're not, rather, I'm asking you use your natural smarts and wit to help me investigate the palace staff. As I said before, I've never had the time to actually go and look for suspects myself, and it would be odd for me to be too far apart from Prince Julian."
The Selected considers this, mulling it over, and Kieran can see the indecision clearly on her face. "And you think, as a Selected, trying to win over Prince Julian, that it wouldn't be odd for me to be away from him as well?"
Kieran can't help the soft chuckle that escapes him from her dubious tone. "I'm not asking you to ignore him or anything like that, but whenever you have free time, between dates, earlier in the morning to go look, that would be a start."
"And what am I looking for? I highly doubt I'm going to find a butcher knife and a confession lying around."
"No, they're too smart for that." Kieran agrees.
"But not smart enough to not be found out." She points out, gesturing to the note Kieran had shown her only minutes before.
Kieran clutches the note tighter in his hand, nodding. "That would be a good place to start, since it's really our only clue...to see who sent it."
"And then interrogate them?" She questions. "I'm not too fond of torture, Kieran."
"Neither am I. I'd like to think whoever gave me the note is simply scared to get caught up in all of this, but genuinely wants to help." Kieran pauses, looking down at the note, and finds his chest becoming tighter. "I'll be honest, a lot of the staff don't really have many feelings toward Princess Lou, since she came to the palace only a few years ago. And Prince Constantine is..." Kieran trails off, not very sure how to finish that sentence.
"An acquired taste?" The Selected asks, cocking her head to the side.
"Yes." Kieran affirms. "But Prince Julian...he's loved here, dearly, by every staff member, from the lowliest of scullery maids to the top royal advisors. I can't imagine that whoever sent this note is doing it for any other reason than to help catch the person who caused the accident. There must be a reason why they're holding back information."
"But he's not loved by all." She says quietly, her voice growing somber, but more sympathetic than it was before. "Someone here tried to kill Prince Julian."
Kieran nods just as solemnly. "And that's why we need to find them, because right now, I can't imagine any person on the staff being willing or capable of harming the Prince. And with such a big distraction like the Selection going on..."
"This would be the perfect time to try again."
"Exactly." Kieran takes a step forward, handing her the note again, and lightly grasping her hand as she closes it over the note. Their eyes meet, and he can see the suspicion and distrust in them. "I'm not expecting an answer now, and know that any decision you make I will respect, bu-"
"I'll do it."
Kieran blinks. "What?"
She looks down at their clasped hands, gripping the note tighter, before she flicks her eyes back up, looking at Kieran with no hesitation. Her back is straight, shoulders set back, and her mind made up, clearly. "Three people were killed, a Prince was blinded and traumatized and now the palace is filled with thirty-four more innocent lives that could be changed in an instant. I can do something about that, I can help." She takes a deep breath, and nods, just once, as if she's confirming this for herself. "Why wouldn't I?"
Kieran sends her a grateful smile and squeezes her hand, before letting it go, and allowing her to keep the note. "Okay, then I will keep in touch with you, we'll have to find a place to meet as well, and-"
"Kieran." She interrupts gently, causing Kieran to stop rambling and look at her again. "Before I leave, I'd like to know who also lost their lives in the accident."
He can't help the way he takes a hesitant step back, feeling unsure. "So few people know as it is, and I've kept it a secret for so long..."
"I'm not asking for a bit of hot gossip." She says shortly, "I'm asking because it could hold clues or at the very least, a motive. We're partners, now. Everything you know, I need to know. And everything I discover, I'll report back to you."
Kieran deflates a bit. "A team. I – you're right." He agrees. It had been so long that he'd been trying to figure out who sabotaged the car, and it has always been alone. And day after day, trying to look for clues, but being pulled away, lying to Prince Julian, feeling the deaths weigh more and more heavily on his conscious...well, Kieran's tired. But with those two words, it's like she's lifted a terrible thing off his shoulders, and for the first time in months, Kieran feels like he can breathe.
"Kieran?"
"You're right." He repeats, his voice a little throaty with his emotion and relief. "We're a team."
And in that dark room, as Kieran tells her everything he knows, the secrets of the palace, who was in the car, what happened that night, everything, he can see so many emotions flit through her features as she soaks everything in. Shock, disbelief, sadness, devastation, sympathy...but most importantly, there was determination. Kieran knew, in that moment, that she was going to do her best to find out who did this, who caused the deaths, the hurt, the pain, the trauma, and bring them to justice.
Kieran knew, in that moment, she was going to find the saboteur.
…...
The Welcoming Ball has been going on for around an hour now, and Prince Julian still hadn't show up, but the Selected were assured it was custom for them to mingle amongst themselves to build up rapport and some tension, as well, before the Prince and the other royals made their appearance. And as much as she was excited to see the prince again, more than anything...Louise Marshall was tired.
Dressing yourself up for a ball is scary enough. Asking yourself: do I look good, will the prince choose to dance with me, will the other women like me, will I be a good dancer or will my inexperience show? All those thoughts had been running in Louise's mind the whole time, swimming inside her head and driving her crazy. And on top that, she had more questions than the other women, like: is Kimmie going to keep her dress on, is she going to spill something on it, is she going to hide under the skirts like she did at their cousin Lindy's wedding, is she going to be in the way, will Louise be looked down upon for bringing her daughter?
And the biggest question, the one Louise was currently faced with: where the fuck is Kimberly Hope Marshall?
After the breakfast earlier, Louise was faced with the very daunting task of wrangling her over-excited three-year-old for a nap, ("Momma, no! I'm not tired! Not a teeny bit!"), wake her up from said nap when she finally stopped fighting, feed her a quick snack, which was always an ordeal, ("Baby, we don't have chicken fingers here. Come on, you love grapes!"), and get her bathed and dressed for the ball. Even after being a single mother for almost four years, Louise realized she could still be too idealistic and naive when it came to the whims of her very headstrong daughter.
"Alright, Kimmie, it's time to get your dress on, okay?" Louise asked, turning away from their shared wardrobe with Kimmie's light blue dress in her hands. She had woken Kimmie up from her nap just forty-five minutes ago, and she could see her daughter was still off-kilter from being so "rudely" awoken. Kimmie, as happy as she was usually, was not a morning person at all, nor was she good at waking up from naps. She must get it from her father, Louise mused, walking to where her daughter was currently laying on their bed, because Louise was most definitely a morning person.
A warm mug of coffee, a sunrise, and a gentle breeze in the early hours of the morning, watching the day begin? Count Louise in.
Louise couldn't help the gentle quirk of her lips and the affection rush in her chest as she looked at her daughter, curled up in her fluffy purple towel from the bath in the middle of the bed, her eyes closed, but breathing rapidly, cueing Louise in that her daughter wasn't asleep, just pretending to be. "Kimmie." Louise says gently, trying to rouse her daughter, but her eyes stay stubbornly closed, and she snuggles deeper into her towel and the bed.
"Uh uh. Sleepy."
"But there's going to be a ball!" Louise exclaims, adding some excitement to her voice. "You get to wear a pretty dress, dance, and eat fancy food!"
Kimmie didn't move, though Louise could see the faintest hint of interest in her daughter as her eyes cracked open into a squint, with her little nose wrinkled. "Fancy food?"
Louise had to suppress a laugh. Of course her daughter would be swayed by the mention of food above anything else. Kimmie was tiny, in both height and weight, but boy, could that small body store a ton of food. "Very fancy food!" Louise promised.
"Like ravioli?"
Louise couldn't help the boisterous laugh that escaped her. Louise, around other people, was full of sweet giggles behind a hand and pink cheeks, coy and even flirty at times, but with Kimmie, she always laughed loudly and freely. "Is that what you think is fancy, Kim?" She asked, carefully wiping the corner of her left eye, so as not to smudge her carefully applied makeup.
"Mhm. With cheese, Momma." Kimmie replied, closing her eyes again.
Louise grinned. "Well, I can't guarantee there will be ravioli there, but there might be some other goodies for you to have."
What's funny is, Kimmie, like most children, has a sweet tooth, of course, but her daughter isn't crazy on cake and candy like most kiddos. Kim has always drifted toward the heavy comfort food, which never ceased to amaze Louise. It was rare that Louise got to treat Kimmie on her salary, but when she did, Kimmie never wanted a lollipop or an ice cream cone, she would ask for a bowl of buttery mashed potatoes or a juicy hamburger.
"I don't wanna go." Kimmie said grumpily, rolling over, away from her mother. The towel rolls down and opens to show Kimmie's small tushie. Oh gosh, it was so hard to take her baby seriously when her little buns were out in the open like that.
Louise took a deep breath, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of red with her effort to not laugh. "Not even for food?"
"No." Kimmie said, her voice muffled in the bed, but her voice final.
Louise walked closer to the bed, clutching Kimmie's dress her hands. "Momma got you a pretty blue dress, Kimmie, and it's perfect for swirling!" She shook the dress in front of her for good measure, but her three-year-old was perfectly stubborn, shaking her head in the bed.
"No!"
It was in situations like that one that Louise was grateful she was blessed with patience and understanding for others, and especially for her daughter. It would be easy, wouldn't it, to sit her daughter up and forcibly dress her up and take her down to the ball, but Louise had always wanted her daughter to grow up knowing that her feelings are okay, and encouraged, even the bad ones: the grumpy days, the tantrum-filled days, the sad days, and the tired, nothing-is-going-right-and-I'm-frustrated-Momma-days.
Louise gently set the baby blue dress on the edge of the large, queen-sized bed, much bigger and luxurious than Louise and Kimmie had ever had before, and gently laid down next to her daughter on the bed, giving her right cheek a gentle squeeze. Kimmie squeals out a laughter, before quickly cutting it off, seemingly remembering that she was supposed to be grumpy.
"Do you not want to go to the ball, Kimmie?" Louise asked gently, turning on what her mother called, the 'Momma voice'. Her mother was endlessly loving, especially over her granddaughter, but sometimes her little tidbits of advice could be a bit overbearing, but her mother was right when she once said the 'Momma voice' was something a parent unlocked only when they became a mother, and boy, was she right. When Louise was pregnant, she figured her wavering, soft voice would never be able to attain the level of calm and authority it would need to be a 'Momma voice', but it came to her so naturally.
Kimmie shook her head, causing the towel to slip down her head, showing her slightly-damp fiery red hair. "No."
"Are you still tired?" Louise asked, scooching closer to her daughter on the bed. Even though Louise had her hair styled already and she was for sure wrinkling her dress, she couldn't have cared any less. Those attending the ball would have to deal with Louise looking a little frumpy, if that meant her daughter was happy, instead. "You shouldn't be, you slept for two whole hours."
"Is that a long time, Momma?"
"It's a good length for a nap, that's for sure." Louise said, smiling gently. At that, Kimmie finally turned toward her mother, round, curious gray eyes meeting green. Louise couldn't help the tiny intake of breath when Kimmie looked at her. Almost four years after having her, and Louise still marveled at this amazing little girl she made and was still blindsided by the effortless and unending love she had for Kimmie.
Kimmie didn't respond, but instead reached out her hand, wiggling her little fingers impatiently. Louise smiled indulgently, and grabbed her daughter's hand in return, allowing Kimmie to play with Louise's fingers. Kimmie, even as a baby, was surprisingly tactile, and it had manifested into her playing with Louise's fingers as she got older, like some sort of comfort to her.
"Kimmie, why don't you want to go to the ball?" Louise asked again, peeking at her daughter through their hands. Kimmie's eyes averted Louise's, not outright ignoring her mother, but certainly avoiding the question. "Can you tell Momma, please?"
Kimmie's eyes finally found her mother's again, and her light eyebrows furrow, trying to make her look serious, and her lower lip stuck out adorably, but not too saccharine. "You're gonna play with Juli and Kieran and not me."
Oh.
"Kimmie, I'm not going leave you alone, honey. Momma will dance all night with you, I promise."
"And there are only grown-ups." Kimmie continued, still sulking, though Louise could hear the actual sadness in her daughter's voice, and she could feel her heart break. Out of everything she had anticipated for the Selection, it had never truly occurred to her that Kimmie would ever feel left-out or lonely.
Louise moved closer and gently pressed her forehead against her daughter's, and rubbed her nose against Kimmie's, causing the little one to giggle. "I know there aren't too many kids here, but remember what Princess Lou said earlier? The maid, Cathy, has a son, so maybe he'll play with you."
She could see Kimmie consider this. Kimmie was an outgoing, playful little girl, and was never one to only play with girls because she was a girl. Kimmie played with anyone who would be willing to, so Louise new the fact that her only available playmate was a boy wouldn't be too much of an issue. "Okay."
"And, I'm sure Kieran and Prince Julian would love to play with you and say hi when they get the chance." Louise reassured her.
"What about the other girls?" Kimmie asked. Ah, that was a tough one. Louise would be lying if she said she had many friends, and out of the friends she did have, she only saw two on a regular basis, and that was usually at work. Kimmie wasn't used to her mother having friends, nor did she understand that the other women might not want to befriend Louise because of Kimmie. Well honestly, if they don't want to be friends with Louise because of that, then fuck them.
But Louise simply said, "Maybe we can talk with them, but if they don't want to play with us, that's okay. Remember, we never invite ourselves..."
"To parties we can't come to!" Kimmie finished happily.
Louise grinned. "To parties and places we're not invited to." She corrects, gently. "We're going to have so much fun, Kimmie, I promise."
Kimmie nodded and sat up, finally, the towel draping around her waist, as she throws her arms up. "Okay! I wanna go!" She exclaimed with a wide smile, showing off her dimples, cheeks ruddy with excitement. It would never cease to amaze Louise how Kimmie could go from one emotion to the next with the energy she did it with. It must have been a child-thing, for sure, because Louise couldn't say the same for herself. Kimmie hopped off their bed and stood in the middle of the floor, naked as the day she was born. "Momma, I'm nakey!" She giggled, wiggling her small bottom for good measure.
"You sure are!" Louise agreed, grabbing the small dress off the edge of the bed. "Let's put on your dress, so you can go to the ball."
Kimmie backed up with an impish grin and shook her head, letting her red hair fly wildly around her. "No! I'm gonna go nakey!"
"You can't go naked, Kim."
Kimmie moved back even further, shimmying as she went, to tease her mother. "But I wanna go!"
Louise nodded patiently. "Then you need to wear your dress."
"You said it's okay to be nakey!" Kimmie insisted, her voice starting to carry a whine in it. "Bodies are normal!"
"I did say that." Louise affirmed. It was an old argument for them, to be sure, since Kimmie had loved being naked since she was at least eight months old. Louise was never sure why Kim loved to be naked so much, but it was a frequent request of her daughter's, and one Louise had to shut down time and time again. "But there's a time and place to be naked, right?"
Kimmie nodded solemnly. "Like church."
"No, not at church. You can't be naked at church."
"The park." Louise's mind quickly flashed to the time when Kim was two and ran through the local park without a stitch of clothing on and covered head-to-toe in mud, and shuddered violently.
"Not the park. Never again." Louise vowed.
Kimmie pouted a bit, but started rocking on her heels, listing off other places to be "nakey", so Louise took that as an opportunity to steadily creep toward her daughter with the dress in her hands. Kimmie's eyes finally met her mother's, and widened for a moment, before Louise snatched Kimmie into her arms, causing the little girl to shriek in delight.
"Momma!" She cried out, erupting into giggles, flailing in her mother's arms.
"You've got to get dressed in your pretty dress, just like Momma!" Louise laughed, spinning around the room with her toddler in her arms.
Louise will be the first person to admit that she's not the most fun person out there, especially after having a child. There were so many outgoing, energetic personalities around, but Louise just wasn't that person, and she never would be. But with Kimmie, just the two of them, Louise could feel her responsibilities, worries, and fears disappear and lift from her shoulders, and for a moment, she could be as goofy and loud as she pleased, just in the company of her little one.
Louise sat Kimmie down on the bed, letting her daughter catch her breath and calm down her giggles. She grabbed Kimmie's underpants and handed it to her daughter, and let Kimmie put them on, before helping her daughter into her dress. As a Five, Louise knew she and Kimmie wouldn't have the proper clothes for the Selection, but she had no idea there was an entire tailor's shop at their disposal to help them with dresses. Kimmie had two or three casual dresses, ripped and stained in a way only a child could accomplish, and Louise had one or two herself, but they didn't fit in the same way they did before she had Kim.
Kimmie's dress was a baby blue, sleeveless dress with a poofy skirt that reminded Louise of a ballerina's skirt, and if there was one thing in this world Kimmie loved to do, it was to twirl like a 'rina. The skirt itself was made of blue fabric and was covered by a lightweight tulle adorned in slightly darker blue flowers, creating just the tiniest bit of contrast. Kimmie, when picking out their dresses earlier that morning, had insisted on wearing matching heels with her dress, but Louise had to nip that idea right in the bud. And oh my, that had been a fun tantrum to deal with, in the middle of the tailor's shop. Still, Louise thought, as she helped Kimmie slip on her pastel blue flats, these were a nice compromise.
"I look just like you, Momma!" Kimmie exclaimed, hopping up and down excitedly, voice bubbly and bright.
"Is that a good thing?" Louise asked, amused, gesturing for her daughter to sit on the bed so she could style those unruly red curls.
Kimmie nodded seriously. "Momma's the prettiest. Ever."
It felt like a crack opened in Louise's chest as she sat behind her daughter and desperately tried to will away the tears gathering in her green eyes. Louise knew, on some level, she was pretty enough, but she wasn't drop dead gorgeous, especially in comparison to a lot of the other Selected women. Her hair was a bit duller, she had dark circles under her eyes from having two jobs and being a full-time mother, and her body had changed since having Kimmie. Her body had stretch marks, an extra layer of fat on her stomach she never had before, and her chest...well, it wasn't as perky as it was before. Louise dragged the brush across her daughter's hair, watching as the tangled red strands started to become smoother.
With all that, how could Louise think she was enough to attract anyone, let alone a prince, even if he couldn't see? But...she was enough for Kimmie, the little one who couldn't see her mother's flaws, and only saw her with love, and that was enough for Louise, and enough to make her feel beautiful.
Louise brushed the hair upward, gathering it up in her hands, and running her hands across the crown of Kimmie's head, trying to smooth out any bumps. When Louise found out she was having a daughter, she vowed not to become that mother who always matched with her daughter, but God, as soon as she had her little bundle of joy, all that went out the window. Louise didn't always match with Kimmie, Lord knows it's pretty expensive to find the same exact outfit in two different sizes, but when she did, it was her favorite thing in the whole world, and their matching gowns for the ball wasn't an exception.
Her dress was a deeper blue that Kimmie's, and the neckline was certainly more revealing, coming down at the top of her chest, to show just the littlest swell of her cleavage. The sleeves were about two-inch-wide straps that came down just below her shoulders covered blue flower appliques. The bodice was tight against her chest, and sucked in her waist just a little, before flowing into a long blue skirt, that would be perfect for twirling. The skirt covered Louise's white two-inch heels, ones she wore because, she wanted to be pretty, but she also had to have heels she could chase a three-year-old in. The flower appliques flowed from her sleeves, across the bodice and halfway down her dress, giving Louise a delicate look she often strove for, but could never really achieve with her current wardrobe and a kid.
Louise's hair was pulled into a neat ballerina's bun on top of her head without a hair out-of-place, and the same hair-do she was putting Kimmie's hair in. Louise applied a bit of blush and highlighter to her face, a quick swipe of mascara, and lip gloss to finish her look. Makeup was never a big part of Louise's routine before having Kimmie, and it's become almost obsolete after having her.
"There." Louise said with a smile. "All done, baby. You look so pretty!"
Louise helped Kimmie off of the bed, and laughed when her daughter squeezed her mother's legs tightly. "Let's go, Momma! Let's go, let's go, let's-"
And now Louise is here, in the ballroom, looking around for her daughter while trying not to look like she lost her daughter. For someone who protested for coming in the first place, as soon as Louise and Kimmie arrived, her little one shot off like a rocket into the crowd with a delighted squeal. Louise sighs, shaking her head, as she walks around casually, peeking around big hair and large dresses to try and spot her daughter. For the better part of an hour, she's pretty much been playing a game of tag with Kimmie, able to have her for about ten minutes at a time, before she turns her back for a second, and turns back to find her daughter gone, exploring the ballroom again.
Louise is sure she catches a glimpse of her daughter's red hair, but before she can go after her, there's a woman in her path, looking down at Louise with a smile, but one that feel extremely unfriendly.
"Hi, there." The woman greets, her voice sickly sweet. Louise's hackles immediately rise, and she straightens out, watching the other woman warily. "You're Louise, right?"
Louise nods, trying to stay positive. This woman could be perfectly nice, and Louise is just too suspicious for her own damn good, but her instincts have never been wrong before... "Yes, and you are?"
"Rachel." She smiles, and there's an edge to it that Louise doesn't like, not one bit. Rachel is beautiful, in a way that's practiced and perfected. In a way that's plastic, fake; not because of implants or Botox, but fake because there's no beauty inside. "You're the one with the daughter, right?"
"Somehow, I think you knew that already." Louise says back shortly, not unkindly, but to-the-point. She takes a step back from Rachel and moves her eyes across the crowd, trying to subtly look for Kimmie, and also a way out of this. Louise knows when something doesn't feel right, it's a pit, swirling and dark in the bottom of her stomach, and she can feel it right now, standing here with Rachel.
Rachel smiles again, sharp with too many teeth and nods. "Yeah, you caught me." She chuckles, and it's devoid of any real humor.
"Well I'm glad we figured that out." Louise smiles. "If you'll excuse me, I nee-" Louise tries to squeeze past her, but Rachel's hand juts out and grabs a hold of Louise's shoulder, stopping her from moving.
"You just got here, can't we talk for a moment?" Rachel asks mildly, but Louise still doesn't trust her.
Louise shakes her head and tries her hardest to gently dislodge Rachel's hand from her narrow shoulder. "Sorry, but I have to go and find my daughter. She's having way too much fun without me."
Rachel's dark eyebrows raise in surprise. "You lost track of your own daughter?" Her tone is inquisitive, but there's something mocking there, too, as if she was waiting to criticize Louise in any way she could.
"I didn't really lose her, I know she's in the ballroom, she's just wandering." Louise says, trying not to let the irritation in her be known. Louise doesn't want to get into an argument right now, not on the first official day in the palace, not at the Welcoming Ball.
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Someone who had a daughter as a teenager can't be too responsible with their child, can they?" Rachel says conversationally, that bite Louise knew she had hidden finally coming out.
Louise bristles, clenching her jaw in an effort not to say anything she could regret, but at the same hand, she's not going to let someone talk down to her like that. "I don't have time for this." Louise tries to move aside again, but Rachel steps in her way again, blocking the path forward.
"Right. You have to look for the child you lost."
"I didn't lose her, Rachel." Louise snaps, her lilting voice becoming stronger, harder in her annoyance with the other woman.
Rachel grins. "Oooo, she's got a bite to her." She sing-songs sarcastically, voice turning crueler.
It was something people often did to Louise, underestimate her simply because she's soft-spoken and has a young child. And it never ceased to annoy her greatly, because Louise knew what she was capable of, so why couldn't anyone else? "If you want to criticize me, fine, but can you do that when I'm not around?"
Rachel frowns in an over-dramatic way that reminds Louise of Prince Constantine, but with none of his flair and humor, just hostility. "I'm not criticizing you at all, why are you being so touchy?"
Louise bites the inside of her cheek. Why is Rachel trying to make it seem like Louise is overreacting, is the real question, but instead, Louise sighs and shakes her head. "Please move, I just want to go get my daughter, okay?" When Rachel doesn't budge, Louise backs up instead, but when she turns, there are two other women behind her with the same snooty looks on their faces, looking down at Louise. One has short cropped hair and blue eyes pinning Louise down, and the other has dyed hair and one eyebrow raised in a challenge. Louise turns back to Rachel, unimpressed, and frankly, starting to get pissed off. "What, is this an ambush?"
Rachel scoffs, throwing up her hands, as if Louise was the real problem here. "Really, Louise, you're making a mountain out of a mole hill. I just want to ask you a question!" Rachel looks over her shoulder to where Kimmie is trying to wrap her arms and legs around a large white pillar, and soon turns back to Louise. "Besides, you said it yourself: you know where she is, she's just wandering."
Louise sighs. "Fine, what did you want to know?" She asks, just hoping this is done soon, so she can back to her daughter.
"I'm just wondering why you ever decided it was a good idea to bring a child here?" Rachel questions, twirling a long strand of dark hair around her finger. "Did you really think it was good for anyone here to bring her?"
"I never go anywhere without her." Louise answers, her voice hardening again.
Rachel shrugs, looking over Louise's shoulder to her lackeys, before a smirk overtakes her face. "I'm sure you mean that nobly, but honestly, I find it to be a bit selfish of you."
Behind her, on her right, the blonde sneers, "Taking a child to a competition for you to find love?"
"Taking her away from her friends and routine to a place that's not meant for a child?" The woman at her left asks, almost hissing the question in Louise's ear.
Rachel nods sagely, stepping closer to Louise. "Sounds to me like she'll be terribly bored here, without any children her age, a palace where she can't really play, and her mother who's throwing herself at a prince who doesn't want someone else's daughter."
Louise can't help the way she flinches away from the words. It's almost as if Rachel knew all of Louise's worries about the Selection and is purposefully hitting every single one of them. Louise can picture Kimmie's face from earlier, her pout and her big, watery eyes as she talked about how lonely she would be. Was Louise really being selfish here? Their castes were being bumped up, and it would be so much easier to provide for Kimmie that way, but maybe she didn't have to bring Kimmie along...perhaps Louise was being selfish. She cranes her head away from Rachel's mocking face to peek over her shoulder to look for Kimmie, but can't find her.
Louise is about to reply to Rachel, with what, she doesn't know, since her chest is hurting so much from the thought of being selfish, but before she can, there's a hand on her right shoulder. Louise startles a bit at the touch, but it's warm and gentle, and she turns to see not the two that were behind her before, but three other women. The woman whose hand is on Louise's shoulder has light brown hair and a gentle smile.
"You know, I just saw Kimmie over by a table with a little boy, and she looks like she's having a ton of fun, not bored at all." The woman informs happily. Louise finds herself sagging in relief from that, and the two other women flank Louise and it feels so supportive, unlike the two women from earlier...where were they?
Rachel smiles, but it's a tight, pinched smile. "Well, that's wonderful! I was just worried about her, that's all."
"Awww, that's really nice of you!" Another woman behind Louise exclaims with a bright smile. The lie seems to go straight over her head, but it's kind of infectious how bubbly she seems, especially with the way she's rocking back and forth on her heels.
However, the other woman with them, strikingly tall and stone-faced, gives Rachel a cold, disapproving look. "Louise can worry about her daughter without your help." She says simply in a heavy European accent, though what kind, Louise can't really say.
Rachel looks at Louise, unable to disguise the annoyance marring her otherwise beautiful face. "Had to get your posse to back you up, Louise?"
Louise openly rolls her eyes, now having support, and tired of playing nice. "Yes, and it's so different from the backup you had earlier, right?"
"I'm just looking out for those of us who came to the competition fair and square." Rachel protests. If Louise didn't suspect Rachel valued her appearance so much, she can imagine the woman pouting right now.
The woman who still has a comforting hand on Louise's shoulder cocks her head to the side. "And Louise didn't come fair and square?" She asks, and it's not unkind or mocking in nature, the woman sounds genuinely curious in her question. Though unlike the other woman with the bouncy curls, Rachel's true intentions don't seem to be lost on her.
"Do you really think they would turn down a woman with a child?" Rachel asks, scoffing a bit. "It's a total ploy for sympathy!"
Louise stiffens at the insinuation that she would ever use her daughter. "I told you, I don't go anywhere without Kimmie, and I certainly wouldn't shut her out for months for a chance with the prince."
"I'm glad you brought her!" The bouncy young woman says with a happy smile. "She's so sweet looking, and she told me my hair looked like pasta."
Louise isn't sure if the woman is meaning to add a lightness to the moody atmosphere, but whether it's purposeful or not, Louise is eternally grateful for it. Rachel, however, doesn't seem to be in the mood for it, and takes a step closer to Louise. It doesn't feel physically threatening, but she's sure Rachel is trying to intimidate her. But the hand on her shoulder, and, surprisingly, the other woman's cold demeanor is helping ground her and make Louise feel supported.
"Do you really think you have a shot with Prince Julian with her here? What if takes over your dates with the prince? What if she gets sick and you have to miss a date?" Rachel gets closer and closer with each step, but Louise allows her to, and the hand on her shoulder squeezes her in comfort. It helps. "What if you're forced to choose between the prince and your daughter? What will you do then?" Rachel demands, her voice raising a little.
To Louise's surprise, the cold woman answers, sounding bored with Rachel's tantrum. "In our meeting yesterday, the prince said he would die for my cat after just meeting him." She reveals. "I highly doubt he will make anyone choose anything." The woman sounds like she's completely over Rachel's dramatics, and Louise is right there with her. She looks over and up to the taller woman and gives her a small, but thankful smile. The woman doesn't smile back.
Rachel rolls her eyes. "Do you think I care what the daughter of a murde-"
"I think that's enough for now." The light-haired woman interrupts with a disarming smile. "Tensions are high, and I don't think any of us would want to say something we'd regret." She shoots Rachel a meaningful look.
Rachel looks over all of them before clenching her jaw. "Fine. I don't have the patience to bother with any of you anyway." She grumbles.
"Funny, since you've been bothering me for the last twenty minutes." Louise says with a sickly sweet smile, reminiscent of Rachel's own from earlier. Hey, who said Louise couldn't be petty, too? In any case, it annoys Rachel enough to warrant another huff, before she turns on her heels and leaves, looking around for her lackeys.
"Bye!" The bubbly woman calls after her with a friendly wave.
Louise steps forward where Rachel was and sees Kimmie and a little boy, who she assumes must be the maid Cathy's son, stuffing their faces into one of the potted plants, smelling the plants and giggling wildly. She turns back to the three women in front of her and dips her head in thanks. "May I know your names so I can properly thank you?" She asks.
The woman who had her hand on Louise's shoulder the whole time nods with a bright smile. "I'm Avarosa Ward, it's nice to meet you, Louise." Louise smiles back automatically, it's hard not to, when Ava pretty much got her out of the situation in the first place.
The bubbly woman speaks up next, jutting out a hand in front of her. Louise takes it gingerly, but the other woman shakes it vigorously up and down with excitement. "Hi, I'm Briseis! But you can call me Bree, if you'd like! It's way easier, and it might be much easier for your baby to say too. Oh, or she could call me Bree-Bree, some of younger cousins do, though I never really got that nickname, because nicknames are supposed to be shorter than your actual name, right, but Bree-Bree is way longer!"
Louise struggles to follow along with the frenetic nature of the way Bree speaks, but her energy is infectious, and she finds herself smiling along without even realizing it. "I think Bree will be just fine for her to say." Louise smiles. She turns to the last woman, who looks like she'd rather be anywhere else than with them, but Louise still finds herself drawn to her anyway. "And you are...?"
There's a long silence, and Louise almost thinks the woman is going to leave her hanging, but she finally says, "Sylvaine Eberstark."
There's an odd energy coming from Sylvaine when she says her name, something purposeful, full of meaning, but Louise can't figure out what it is. Instead, she smiles gratefully to Sylvaine. "Thank you, all of you, really. I expected some women to not be as kind to me because I have a daughter, but..." Louise looks away, back at her baby, and sighs, "I just didn't expect it on our very first night here."
Ava nods sympathetically. "You shouldn't have to expect it at all." She says, her voice holding true sorrow for what Louise is going through, but not pity, and Louise appreciates it immensely.
"I shouldn't." Louise agrees. "But I will, and I only hope that she won't go after Kimmie face-to-face."
"It would take a truly disgusting person to speak down to a child." Sylvaine pipes up, her voice short and concise. To be honest, there's something interesting about the way she speaks and it makes Louise want to hear her say more. Ava's voice is kind and clear, and Bree's voice is bubbly and happy, makes Louise feel warm, but Sylvaine's voice is a calm, crisp tone that Louise isn't used to hearing.
"Um, what's your accent?" Louise asks suddenly. When the others look at her a little confused as to why she just brought that up out-of-nowhere, Louise blushes slightly. "Sorry, I just really like the sound of it. I never really hear accents outside of Kent."
Ava laughs. "I've got a whole cache of accents if you ever want to hear them. Russian, French, Southern, Transatlantic, just to name a few..." She lists. There's something informative about Ava as she lists what she can do, and it's not boastful at all, just proud and happy to share her talent.
Louise smiles. "I'd love to hear them. Kimmie would, too, I can never change my voice enough for her when I read our bedtime stories."
Bree grins. "I'm pretty good at getting emotions right, but I can't really do accents! It's kind of hard when you already have an accent yourself, like I do. Well, I don't think I have too much of one, but people tell me it's a slight Southern one, but that makes sense since I live in Paloma." Louise can picture how Bree could be good at getting the emotions in dialogue right, since her soft voice is so happy naturally. And Ava, her voice is bright and expressive – open and inviting, Louise is sure she must have some sort of job with her voice, whether it's a radio personality or acting or even singing, she's not sure.
Louise sheepishly grins. "I'm afraid I don't have much range." She admits. "Kimmie always says all my voices sound the same."
Ava winces for Louise's sake. "Ouch. Harsh criticism."
"You should hear what she says about my cooking." Louise jokes. The other two women laugh, but Sylvaine's looking away from the other women and far removed from the conversation, and Louise suddenly remembers Sylvaine hadn't answered her. "Oh, Sylvaine, did we cut you off?"
Sylvaine slowly turns her head back to Louise, looking a little caught off guard, as if she thought they were all going to ignore her. Or maybe she wanted them to? Louise gives Sylvaine a subtle look-over and decides it's probably a mix of both. "Hm?"
"I asked about your accent earlier, but we kind off went off on a tangent." Louise explains with a small chuckle.
"You actually want to know?" Sylvaine asks doubtfully.
Bree nods before Louise has a chance to answer. "Of course we do! Your accent sounds kind of mysterious, you know?"
Ava nods gravely in agreement, and lowers her voice for effect. "Like a secret agent."
Sylvaine shifts on her feet, and looks almost as if she's a bit embarrassed by the attention being on her. Louise can still feel a cold, prickly energy coming off of her, but instead of it feeling openly hostile, like she earlier suspected, it feels like a defense mechanism now. "You're the expert on voices," Sylvaine says to Ava, "you tell me what it is."
Ava's face melts into one of pure concentration, and Louise finds it endearing how much consideration she's putting into this. Louise takes this moment to really look at Ava's ensemble, and she's kind of blown away by the dedication Ava took to match her outfit to her name. Of course, with the name Avarosa, she went with a rose motif, from the red roses interwoven into the French braid her hair is in, the the rose accessories, and, of course, her dress. Her sleeves are see-through and cover most of her arms, but have roses printed on them and those roses flow into the bodice, which is covered in red roses, green leaves, and smaller yellow flowers.
Her skirt is a rich, ruby red and broadens considerably, at least a foot or two out, and completely covers Ava's feet. It looks like a dress perfect for swirling around the dance floor in, and causing a spectacle, but in the best way possible. Along with her dress, she has a rose clutch firmly in her left hand, and a large red rose ring on her pointer finger. And there's a corsage on her right wrist detailed in three large roses. To finish her look is a simple smoky eye with mascara but no liner, and, of course, red lips. Louise is sure this look could have come off hokey or too-on-the-nose, but somehow, Ava pulls it off with an elegance that most people can't pull off.
"Okay," Ava starts thoughtfully, breaking into Louise's thoughts. Louise does a quick peek over to where Kimmie is, and is relieved to see her daughter is still with the little boy, tugging on her dress in a way that is very unladylike. "It's definitely European, but it's not Russian or British."
Louise grins when Sylvaine nods her assent, feeling a little triumphant in her earlier suspicion. Ava catches this, and cocks her head in question. "I thought so too, earlier, so I'm kind of happy that I was on the right track." She admits.
Bree shakes her head in wonder at the two. "Wow, I was way off, I was thinking Nordic or Australian, or something like that." Sylvaine raises an eyebrow at this, and it causes Louise to giggle. Sylvaine looks a bit startled at that, as if she didn't think someone would share in her humor, but she doesn't look upset about it, so Louise will count that as a success.
"That's a good start, Bree." Ava says encouragingly, and it doesn't sound fake at all, just genuinely supportive, and Bree can sense this too, as she suddenly surprises Ava with an impromptu hug, one Ava happily returns. These women, Louise feels comfortable introducing them to Kimmie and having them around her. Ava would bring a comfort to Kimmie, only encouragement and light, and Bree would bring fun and excitement, more than willing to act silly with her daughter. Louise eyes slide back to Sylvaine as she considers her. Even Sylvaine, if only because she's sure Sylvaine would melt someone with her glare if they were to ever try to hurt Kimmie.
"So what do you think then, Ava?" Louise asks.
Ava pulls back from Bree's hug and gives her another squeeze for good measure, before turning back to Louise and Sylvaine. "I think you've got a pretty awesome German accent, right, Sylvaine?" Sylvaine only nods, and Ava whoops in triumph, and Bree joins her, if only for an excuse to cry out in happiness, too. Again, while Ava looks pretty pleased with herself, it seems like it's because she's proud she figured it out, and not because she's gloating.
While there's a slight lull in the conversation, Louise steals another glance at Sylvaine while the other woman isn't paying attention. It's hard to actually look at her when Sylvaine is paying attention, since her bright blue eyes practically pierce someone when she looks at them. Louise takes a look at the other women before going back to Sylvaine and realizes that she's pretty much the only woman who's wearing an all-white dress. There's another impeccably dressed woman in a white dress, but it has large printed flowers of varying colors on it, while Sylvaine's is a pure white. It's certainly a statement, and a way to differentiate herself from the other Selected, but something strikes Louise that Sylvaine probably didn't think of a detail like that, and instead went for something that looked nice and comfortable.
Sylvaine's dress is a sleeveless number with a rather daring neckline, a vee, showing just the barest hint of cleavage. The top is just a plain white, most likely satin or silk, just something that's super smooth and expensive looking, that's all Louise knows. The skirt must be the same, but over top the skirt is a sheer white material covered in small, white flowers on every square inch of it. The sheer material is a bit longer than the skirt underneath, and creates a fun little difference in height, and swishes dramatically with every slight movement Sylvaine makes. The skirt is almost a straight-shot down Sylvaine's body, accentuating her height, and almost covering her matching white heels. Her hair is completely straight and goes down just a bit past Sylvaine's elbows, an impressive length that Louise wished her hair would grow to. Sylvaine isn't wearing a stitch of makeup, but her skin is still flawless and glowing, and eyes bright and focused.
Sylvaine catches Louise's eyes, blue on green, and looks a bit suspicious, but doesn't say anything. Louise grins sheepishly, feeling a little embarrassed having been caught staring so openly. "Sorry, Sylvaine, I was kind of admiring you."
She looks absolutely taken aback by this. "What?"
"I mean, you're wearing an all-white dress, I guess I'm just amazed." Louise laughs, shaking her head in wonder. "With Kimmie, I don't think I've worn something that's stayed that white in almost four years." Sylvaine's lips twitch upward in the world's absolutely smallest smile ever, but it still makes Louise happy to know that she was the one who put it there.
Bree nods her head emphatically in agreement. "I love the color white, I think it's absolutely beautiful, but nothing I have that's white ever stays that way," She says, her tone mournful, "All my paints get on it, so I guess you could say my clothes don't get dirty, because it's not like I'm rolling around in dirt or anything -" Bree laughs, "but my clothes get messy because of the paint and other stuff I use."
Ava's eyebrows raise. "Other stuff?" Her face grows conspiratorial and her mouth twists into a gentle teasing grin. "How intriguing..."
Louise giggles. "Mysterious, indeed."
"Titillating." Ava declares, her voice way too serious for such a goofy word. Bree breaks into a loud laugh that carries over all of the other conversations in the ballroom, and Louise and va join her. Louise looks over to Sylvaine, and the other woman isn't laughing, though she does look a little amused.
For such a loud, booming laugh, Bree's delicate dress throws Louise for a bit of a loop. Not that she was expecting Bree to show up in gym shorts, a wife beater, and work boots, but the sweet dress she was wearing was unexpected. The dress itself is a short-sleeved, almost sheer-in-quality dress in a white/light blush pink color. Like Sylvaine's dress, it was a straight-shot down Bree's body, giving her a slim silhouette and not fanning out at the end like Ava and Louise's dresses. It was covered in flowers pinned and sewn into the dress and in all different, but equally soft colors – pale yellows, coral pinks, light, almost transparent purples, and green leaves. The end of the dress is simply sheer and pools around Bree's feet, and Louise hopes that Bree isn't clumsy, because she can definitely foresee some accidents happening with the train of that dress.
Louise can see the faint outline of baby pink shoes (sandals?) underneath Bree's dress, and thankfully, they're not too high, and there are straps that travel from the heel up Bree's calves, hopefully giving her some extra support. Bree's hair a rich, dark brown and falls into big curls around her, framing her face sweetly. Bree has some blush on and a light pink gloss on her lips, adding to the delicacy of her look, and Louise finds that she likes it a lot.
"Louise?"
That's Ava's voice, Louise recognizes, blushing at being caught off guard. "Sorry, what?"
Ava grins and waves her hand. "No worries, I just wanted to see if you're okay from earlier. Check in, you know?"
Louise smiles widely, touched by the gesture. "I was a little shaken earlier, but I'm okay, now. I should probably go find Kimmie, anyway, keep her near me."
Bree nods. "Yes, I would love to meet her! I think I'm pretty good with kids, not being braggy or anything, but I love to play all the games they come up with!" Again, like Louise thought earlier, it's not difficult to picture Bree on her hands and knees playing goofy games with children or putting on silly voices just to entertain them.
"Louise," Ava breaks in, "they have staff here looking after Kimmie the whole time, so I guess I just don't want you to feel like you can't have fun, too?"
"I won't have fun with Kimmie?" Louise asks, not offended, but ready to get defensive if needed.
Ava shakes her head gently. "No, what I meant was: you should have fun talking to us, too, without feeling like you need to stay by Kimmie's side. I don't want you to feel isolated, that's all."
Oh. Louise lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Bree jumps in next, before Louise can reply. "Besides, I'm sure before the week is over you'll have a whole bunch of people willing to babysit her if you're going to go on a date or spend time with a friend." Bree's eyes get wider and almost sparkle in her growing excitement, "Oh my gosh, I have so many ideas for stuff we can paint together!"
Louise laughs, and with that laugh, she feels some of the general anxiety she carries with her, and the one fueled by Rachel earlier start to shed away. "She'd love that."
"So would I!"
Louise dips into an informal bow to the three women in front of her again. "I just really want to thank all of you again for being so kind to us and for helping me with Rachel." Ava and Bree return Louise's smile, but Sylvaine doesn't, looking out-of-place. "You too, Sylvaine. I think you scared Rachel and her posse away." Sylvaine looks a bit surprised that Louise thanked her, but nods her acknowledgment and relaxes the tiniest bit. "Hey, what happened to them?"
"Who?" Ava asks.
"The two other women with Rachel? One minute, they were behind me, and the next, they were gone."
Bree smiles sheepishly. "Oh, I told them Gigi was looking for them and that she seemed really mad and they left the ballroom really quickly."
Louise blinks. "Gigi?" Sylvaine, Ava, and Bree all wordlessly point to a stunning red-head in the middle of the ballroom with the most intimidating scowl on her face and "don't-look-at-me-directly" vibes. Louise nods. "Ah, Gigi." She gets it, now.
Before anything else can be said, there's a matching set of squeals and thundering footsteps coming toward Louise and her group and the sound of purring? And – oh dear God, why does Kimmie have a cat (in a tuxedo, what?) in her arms?
"Momma!"
"Kimmie's Mommy!"
"There's a kitty and -"
"He's a boy!"
"I checked, Momma!"
"No, I checked! You said it was scary!"
"I was not scared!"
"Uh huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"And you didn't know what to look for!"
"I was looking for his pee-pee, Chase!"
"Yeah, and I have one and you don't, so I know what it looks like!"
"Momma! Chase said I don't have a pee-pee!"
Louise shakes her head exasperatedly while Bree and Ava erupt into giggles. If someone had told Louise her day would end up with her listening to her daughter whine about being told she didn't have a penis, she would have never believed them. Even almost four-years into parenthood and Louise was still getting surprises.
"Okay, Kimmie, can you slow down and tell Momma who your friend it and where you got the kitty?" Louise asks, keeping her voice calm.
Kimmie nods, careful not to jostle the light-colored cat in her arms. His eyes are closed, but Louise can see he's still alert, tailing swishing back and forth, ears up and listening. "This is Chase!"
The little boy, a cute little thing with a cherubic face and soft blonde curls waves up at Louise and the other women. He doesn't look much older than Kimmie, maybe a year or two older. "I'm a boy." He announces.
"He is," Kimmie agrees, "but I didn't check, Momma, I promise."
Louise tries her hardest not to laugh. "That's good, baby."
Kimmie raises her arms a little bit to show all of the women the cat in her arms. "And this is the kitty we found! He was in a little bed by the flowers!"
"He wasn't sleeping, he was just laying down." Chase informs them seriously.
"We named him Leaf!"
Surprisingly, the one who breaks the stunned silence is Sylvaine, who chuckles quietly. "Leaf is a good name, but I think he might like Sebastian better."
At the name, the cat – Sebastian, lets out a trill, opening his eyes to look at Sylvaine, before closing them again, seemingly happy being fawned over by the kids. Louise turns to Sylvaine curiously. "Sebastian? Is he yours, Sylvaine?"
She nods, a softer look coming over her face. "Yes, but, I'm glad he's making friends." Louise never suspected Sylvaine, as unapproachable as she is, to be mean to the children, but she didn't expect Sylvaine to be so gentle, so she's pleasantly surprised and really happy to see that.
Louise smiles at the small duo and gestures back toward the women behind her. "By the way, these are Momma's friends," Louise pauses, and looks back at the other women for approval at the word and is elated when she is met with enthusiastic nods from Bree and Ava. Sylvaine inclines her head slightly, looking unsure herself, but ultimately pleased. "Ava, Bree, and Sylvaine."
Kimmie looks at all of them, then down at Sebastian. "I can't wave, I have Leaf in my arms."
Chase raises both hands and waves them excitedly at the women. "Look, Kimmie! I'm wavin' for you!" He exclaims excitedly.
Kimmie giggles. "Thanks!"
"Kimmie," Louise starts, keeping her voice gentle, "that's not Sebastian's name."
Kimmie pouts. "But I like Leaf."
Louise shakes her head. "I know you do, but you can't rename someone's cat, baby, that's not nice."
"But I like Leaf!" Kimmie argues, stamping her foot down a little, causing Sebastian to poke his head up at the disturbance. Chase nods his agreement, and crosses his arms over his chest, pouting as well.
"Sebastian." Sylvaine calls out. Sebastian immediately jumps from Kimmie's arms into Sylvaine's, and she looks down at the little one, not with a smile, but a gentle look. "He answers to Sebastian and only Sebastian. If we were to start calling him something different, he might get confused." Sylvaine explains slowly, petting Sebastian.
"Would he get sad? If I called him Leaf?" Kimmie asks, eyes wide.
Sylvaine pauses. "Probably not sad, but he wouldn't understand what to answer to. It's better to call him Sebastian."
Kimmie and Chase wrinkle their noses at the same time. "I don't like Sebastian." Chase says. "It's too long." And Kimmie nods her agreement. While Louise is delighted that Kimmie found a friend, she hopes the two of them don't become so in-sync they gang up on her and Cathy. That would be bad.
Ava and Bree who have been watching all of this in amusement, finally speak up: "Why not give him a nickname?" Ava suggests to the kids with a wide smile that immediately has them smiling back at her.
"Avarosa goes by Ava and my name is Briseis, but I go by Bree." Bree explains. "There are lots of nicknames you could give him!"
"Seb," Ava offers
"Bastian?" Louise suggests, looking to Sylvaine for approval.
Kimmie and Chase exchange looks with each other, and it warms Louise's heart up more than she anticipated. They had known each other for maybe an hour, but it already seemed like they were going to become best friends. Chase was adorable, and just ramped up Louise's longing to have another child, a boy even more than usual. He was barely taller than Kimmie, though his wild curls helped give him an extra bit of height. He was dressed in a navy blue tux with printed flowers on the cuffs of his jacket and pants, and oh my goodness, a little floral pocket square, too. He has puffed, chubby cheeks and wide green eyes, that are widening with every look he shares with Kimmie, before they turn back to the women.
"Sebby!" They shout in unison.
Sebastian lets out an (approving?) meow from where he's nestled in Sylvaine's arms, and he jumps out of them and goes back over to Kimmie and Chase who let out twin squeals of delight. Ava and Bree squeeze by Louise and crowd Sebastian with Chase and Kimmie, laughing along with them, when Sebastian, or Sebby, turns over onto his back and presents his belly to them.
"Attention-whore." Sylvaine mutters under her breath with a hint of a smile on her lips.
Louise giggles and nods her agreement. "He's definitely making the most of the situation, huh?"
Sylvaine side-eyes Louise curiously, but nods. "Yes."
Louise steps closer to Sylvaine and smiles encouragingly. "I wanted to say thanks -"
"You already did." Sylvaine points out.
"For helping me with Rachel, sure, but I wanted to thank you for letting Kimmie play with Sebastian." Louise explains with a chuckle that only grows when Sylvaine's face lights up with embarrassment and morphs into a scowl.
"Oh."
"So thank you. She uh, she probably won't leave him alone now, which means she won't leave you alone."
Sylvaine nods, but doesn't look upset by that. "Seb will certainly like the company." She replies.
Louise bumps their shoulders together with a smile, and Sylvaine looks a little unsure about that contact, or perhaps Louise's intentions as a whole. "Looks like we'll be becoming good friends because of this, too." Louise says happily, watching as Kimmie, Chase, Bree, and Ava all coo and tickle Sebastian. And if Louise is reading him right, Sebastian looks pretty damn happy with all of the love and attention that's being lavished upon him.
Sylvaine's eyebrows furrow at the word friends, but before she can say anything, the room descends into a hush, and a man is at the front of the ballroom. Louise doesn't recognize him, but he looks important, and like he's about to say something. He steps forward, and sweeps out an arm, bowing slightly.
"Ladies, please welcome Princess Lourdes!" The Princess enters the room, walking slowly, in a practiced walk that looks a bit nervous.
"Wow! She's so beautiful." Bree whispers in awe, and Ava nods her agreement.
The princess' dress is a grand thing – it drags across the floor, in front and behind her, and although it fits Princess Lou's body like a dream, she looks like she's drowning in it because she's uncomfortable. It's a warm pink color in the skirt, but the end of the dress is covered in printed white and lighter pink flowers, and the neckline has similar white flowers and a plunging neckline. Louise can't help but think that the princess, as quiet and serene as she is, doesn't seem very natural in the dress she's wearing, it just doesn't suit her, like Sylvaine's dress does her, or Louise's very own. The princess' hair is swept up in an intricate looking up-do with a white calla lily placed in the center of it. Her makeup is simple – pink, glossy lips, and a light blush on her face, the only thing that Louise suspects the princess had a direct hand in.
"She's really beautiful." Bree repeats, shaking her head.
Louise giggles. "You already said that, Bree."
Kimmie and Chase break the silence, waving their hands at the princess excitedly. "Hi, Princess!" Kimmie shouts.
"Auntie Lou!" Chase calls.
The princess breaks out into a blinding smile, one that Louise hadn't seen from her yet, and it kind of takes her breath away, to see the princess so happy. Princess Lou looks like she wants to cross the ballroom to go greet the children, but she remembers herself at the last second and steps to the side, looking disappointed.
"Is it bad that I want to trade dresses with her?" Ava wonders aloud.
The question is left unanswered, as the guard steps forward again. "And Prince Constantine." He introduces, bowing to the prince as he walks into the ballroom, waving exaggeratedly toward the crowd of women.
"Hello, my beauties!" He coos.
The prince is wearing an expertly fitted tux, showing off his height, fairly broad shoulders, and strong arms. The entire thing is a deep, plum purple with large printed violet, hot pink, and light blue flowers all over it. It's matched with black dress shoes, and a stark white shirt underneath his jacket with a cheesy black bow-tie, because of course. Prince Constantine's dark hair is tousled just right with enough product to look purposefully messy, but not like he just rolled out-of-bed.
"If you think I look good," He starts with a big grin, "well, you're certainly not wrong!"
The princess rolls her eyes. "Connie."
"Well, if you think I look good, wait until you see our little Juli-Bean, my little buttercups, he will blow your minds!" He exclaims with a flourish of his arms. The room, which had been tittering from Prince Constantine's antics, grows quiet as they anticipate the arrival of Prince Julian, the one they all really want to see.
Louise takes a deep breath and casts a look down at her baby, expecting to see her playing with Sebastian again, but instead, her round, gray eyes are peering up at Louise. Kimmie gives her Momma a happy smile and walks over to her and grabs her mother's hand in support. Those doubts from earlier, the worries that she was being selfish, that she couldn't make this all work, that it was a mistake bringing Kimmie here, it all disappears when that little hand slips into hers.
"Smile big, Momma! Juli's coming!" Kimmie insists.
And smile Louise does.
Hello, all! Lovely to see you again :D
I'm going to say this now: next chapter will have Juli in it, or so help me, I will kick my own ass.
Ahem. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I wanted to add in Francesa and Leo, but I knew this chapter had a lot in it already and I didn't want to overwhelm anyone. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and what happened in it: the spy-subplot, Louise and Kim, Rachel (who I desperately wanted to call Reighchel. Sigh.), Ava, Bree, Sylvaine, Chase, and Sebastian.
Why I chose Louise: I wanted a chance to show both Louise's relationship with Kimmie, while also being able to give her a break from Kim, so we could see how she is without her daughter as well. Also: I wanted a happy, light-hearted chapter (for the most part), and I knew Kimmie and Chase would be able to provide that.
Now that I am officially back to work, I can't guarantee weekly updates, but I'm certainly going to try! :D And next chapter will have Juli, the first dance, Kieran, and some more girls, I promise! I hope!
Also: I never want to get too political, I'm not a celebrity or an influential person, but with everything going on in America right now, I'm simply going to say this: BLM.
Okay, I really hope you all loved this chapter as much as I did! I'd love to know what you think :)
Have a wonderful day and stay safe!
~Rose :)